Food passes from the esophagus to the stomach. After entering the stomach, the food is stored in order to allow the stomach to chemically and mechanically prepare the food for receipt in the small intestine where the food is further digested. Food does not enter the bloodstream through the walls of the stomach. Thus, the stomach has complete control over the passage of food to the small intestine to ensure the food is ready both chemically and physically.
Statistics estimate that approximately sixty-four percent of Americans are overweight including the thirty percent of Americans whom are obese. As medical problems mount relating to overweight lifestyles, more Americans opt to undergo medical operations as a means for decreasing their appetite. A common theme among the operations is to reduce the volume size of the stomach. Reducing the volume size of the stomach physically prevents an individual from eating an excessive amount of food.
A wide range of methods exist for decreasing the volume size of a stomach. These methods range from stapling the stomach to inserting a volumetric object inside the stomach to reduce the stomach volume available for food retention. Both options limit the amount of food entry possible as compared to the period before the procedure is performed. Certain advantages and drawbacks of each method relate to the invasiveness of the procedure, success rate, maintenance, cost, length, and removability.
Stapling a patient's stomach or resecting the stomach with a stapler are both ways to create a smaller stomach volume. Attaching a volumetric object or reducer within a patient's stomach is another. An inflatable balloon placed in the stomach is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,978 by J. Gannoe as a way to decrease the stomach volume. The inflatable balloon can be inserted trans-orally in a deflated condition and inflated within the patient.
Suturing the stomach walls together and creating stomach partitions are also techniques used to reducing the caloric intake of a patient. U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,344 by Kagan et al. teaches bringing the walls of the stomach together with suture or staples to create a partition or pouch for the treatment of morbid obesity.
Creating a stomach partition by bringing stomach walls together and inflating a volumetric object are both known in the art. Building an implantable partition within the stomach from an expanding foam is not well known to those skilled in the art. Attaching a balloon or a foam structure to a stomach wall within a harsh stomach environment can also present challenges. U.S. Patent Application 2002/0147462 discloses foaming adhesives and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. International publication WO 92/09651 by Cooke et al entitled “Polycyanoacrylate Foam” also describes expanding foams.
At present, there are no known surgical implants, instruments to apply the implants, or methods of placing the implant that can meet all of the needs outlined above. These and other advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.